Wyeast 1968 London Esb

[hazard]

I have just read this with some concern as my next beer I have planned is a Fullers ESB clone with Wyeast 1968 yeast - got all the ingredients from Greensborough HBS last week and just waiting for the weekend to brew. According to all the info on this thread the yeast is highly flocculent - so my question is - if there isn't enough yeast in suspension to continue fermentation in the fermenter, will ther be enough for bottle carbonation? Will bulk priming work OK, it seems that racking off into another fermenter will leave all the yeast at the bottom of the first one??

Thanks foir any advice, Iwould appreciate feedback from those who have already brewed with this yeast.

Hazard

 

[The King of Spain]

I have just read this with some concern as my next beer I have planned is a Fullers ESB clone with Wyeast 1968 yeast - got all the ingredients from Greensborough HBS last week and just waiting for the weekend to brew. According to all the info on this thread the yeast is highly flocculent - so my question is - if there isn't enough yeast in suspension to continue fermentation in the fermenter, will ther be enough for bottle carbonation? Will bulk priming work OK, it seems that racking off into another fermenter will leave all the yeast at the bottom of the first one??

Thanks foir any advice, Iwould appreciate feedback from those who have already brewed with this yeast.

Hazard

I have used Wyeast British ale with good results in an ESB several times. I get scared off by those sorts of attenuation results.

 

[Goofinder]

Will bulk priming work OK, it seems that racking off into another fermenter will leave all the yeast at the bottom of the first one??

There will be enough yeast left. I've brewed 3 beers with 1968 and racked each of them after a couple of weeks then bulk primed after another couple. No problems carbing up.

 

[fraser_john]

Checked my ESB last night as the bubbling had settled right back to maybe 1 blurp per couple of minutes, reasonably clear, but gravity at 1.024!!

Put the electric blanket on it with a fridgemate, set temp to 21 degrees, added 1/8th teaspoon of DAP, swirled the fermenter around quite a lot and went back inside.

Got up this morning and fermenter is bubbling about once every 20 seconds now, so it looks like I have woken the sleeping yeast back up.

Tasting bloody brilliant though!

 

[warra48]

I love this yeast.
I fermented 3 batches in a row with it, and achieved from 78 to 81% apparent attenuation.

It does like to drop quickly in the fermenter, leaving very clear beer at bottling time. Rousing it does help as it goes along.
I've also found it takes it time to carb up, but rolling the bottles a couple of times in the first week to re-suspend the yeast, and keeping it at 20C or a little higher all seem to help. Even so, they've taken 4 to 5 weeks to get there in the bottle.

Can't complain about the taste of the beer. I still have a starter split left, so I can build it up again. Definitely one I'll use again.

 

[fraser_john]

I fermented 3 batches in a row with it

Yup, I have a porter planned that I am just going to dump right onto the yeast cake after racking.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I bet people have made beers by dumping onto a whole cake of this ... but I'd be prepared for a bit of a yeast explosion. This stuff ferments hard and fast (well until it drops off at around 1.020 anyway...) and using a whole cake as the starter is going to make for one hell of a running start for your batch.

My guess is yeast on the floor and terminal gravity in about 3 days flat unless you take precautions.

 

[fraser_john]

might start fermentation off at 17 degrees then for the first few days!

 

[cdbrown]

I just brewed an ESB on this stuff - left it to it's own devices and it dropped from 1.053 to 1.015 without any help. Must have done it within a day or so as it wasn't long before the cold nights kicked in dropping the fridge temp down to 15. Thankfully it had fermented out and was actually a grav point lower than beersmith predicted. Now to rack onto gelatine and keg in a few days.

 

[jimi]

If I was stuck on a desert island with abundant malt, water and hops, and could only choose one yeast, this would be the yeast I'd choose to be stuck with. We do get to choose these things right!
Hope the brew is a blinder FJ

 

[Pumpy]

If I was stuck on a desert island with abundant malt, water and hops, and could only choose one yeast, this would be the yeast I'd choose to be stuck with. We do get to choose these things right!
Hope the brew is a blinder FJ

Thats a rap .

So Jimi what is the secret to getting attenuation with this yeast?

Pumpy

 

[gap]

I have a glass of London Porter ( a Fullers Recipe for a 1880's Porter using 500g of Brown Malt)
in front of me now. I used 1968 for this brew.This started at 1052 and ended at 1012 after 5 days at 18C. Did nothing special
except fermentation was controlled using an insulated fermentor , a heat belt and a fridgemate. It gets COLD
up here in Mt Victoria at this time of year.

By the way the beer tastes very nice if I do say so myself.

Regards

Graeme

 

[Gavo]

Drinking my Red Dogwood Ale fermented with 1968 right now. It went from 1048 to 1018 in five days at 18.5 degrees C, I racked it and gave it a stir after another two days and then let it sit at 20 degrees C for another four days before crash chilling. I was well and ready to give it a stir every day but didn't need to. This yeast flocks out so well that I didn't bother with gelatin and just used polyclar. Bottle conditioned with no problem also.
Taste :icon_drool2: Best English bitter I've done yet.


Cheers
Gavo.

 

[jimi]

Thats a rap .

So Jimi what is the secret to getting attenuation with this yeast?

Pumpy

Pumpy - This puppy loves a good size starter and I often pitch on past cakes in subsequent beers. My last outing with this I did a mild then, ESB the Oatmeal Stout (2 pitches on to cakes). It's in it's nature to leave a "little" residual sweetness, but I've always had it finish at the higher end of it's atten. specs. I find it quite flexible too, in that it can be quite neutral at the lower temp ranges and richer and more esters at the higher temps. My fave APAs have been made with this as well as dark brits (though I like my APAs with a bit more AAA character).
I've never used any nutrient with this yeast and haven't seen the need.
I reserve the right to fall in love with other yeast, but 1968 is my island sweet heart ATM

 

[cdbrown]

I've just racked onto gelatine in a spare fermenter after a few days of it sitting at 3C - this stuff clumps up and really needs a fair amount of agitation to get it into a slurry. Not had this happen with other yeasts.

 

[Sammus]

I've just racked onto gelatine in a spare fermenter after a few days of it sitting at 3C - this stuff clumps up and really needs a fair amount of agitation to get it into a slurry. Not had this happen with other yeasts.

oh yeah, won't find much (if any) that flocs harder than this. Favourite yeast of mine. Not that I've tried them all, or even that many, but this is my favourite so far.

 

[winkle]

I've always felt that my bitters were just missing the mark with dried yeasts, got to say I'm impressed with the special bitter I've just kegged up using this yeast, just what I was after. Now to try it in a mild (because its there) .

 

[bear09]

Hi All.

Just finished fermenting my first batch with 1968 last night and got 73% attenuation (1056 to 1015). Its rated to 72% on the Wyeast web site and many people on this forum have reported issues with this baby leaving the party early so I am happy.

I tasted my hydrometer sample and I am very exited about this brew. I cant wait until its aged a week or so and carbed up - it was like a malt sandwich.

I took peoples advice and stepped the temp up as fermentation went on - 2 days at 18, 2 days at 19.5, 2 days at 21 with constant swirling (morning noon and night) and then 22 for 5 days without swirling.

Yeast flocc'ed and dropped out clean as promised by Wyeast - everything going to plan with this yeast so far.

 

[Pennywise]

Love 1968 :icon_drool2: mmmm malty, personally I've never had an issue with it, always ferments out, and don't really ramp the temp up at all. Am thinking about blending with 1469, first blend ever, but I love both of em'

 

[Bribie G]

PW, have you had a look at the new Jamil / White yeast book yet? They mention using two yeasts - the first yeast gives the flavour characteristics then adding a second, more attenuating yeast can give you a drier beer to boot. I'd look at a 1968 / Nottingham partnership where you wouldn't (theoretically) get the flavour stripping or 'dustiness' of the Nottingham.